Other Pamplin Media Group sites

Letters

Rob Brading is correct. He is not individually responsible for children viewing pornography in the public library. More accurately, Rob Brading is part of a group of people who together control the library and who wield that power in compliance with American Library Association directives, not community standards. The group as a whole is responsible for the exposure of children to inappropriate material that might not happen but for the group's actions in defiance of the case it lost in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Rob Brading is correct again. The Oregonian condemned the 'attack' on Aug. 31. But The Oregonian said on Sept. 10 he 'shouldn't be making decisions on what's best for our state's kids.' 'Brading's radical and absolutist view of the First Amendment simply prevents him from advocating reasonable, adult steps to protect children from pornography while they're at a public library. He is, as the flier says, 'responsible for children viewing Internet porn in our county library.' '

Rob Brading is correct yet again. He wrote, 'character assassination, lies and misrepresentation destroy our political system.' He is using a lawsuit to suppress the First Amendment rights of Toni Manning to tell the community what happened to her 10-year-old daughter in the public library and who she thinks is responsible for that.

Where the people have little say in how a public library is run, and Rob Brading helps run that library and gets to sue Toni Manning to shut out the truth, our political system is indeed destroyed.

This is not cynical politics, as Rob Brading claims. Self interest is not why Toni Manning is speaking out, although it is why Rob Brading is suing her. Rather, Toni Manning is essentially seeking to advise the public that the library needs to follow community standards, not ALA directives, or else people should not vote for more money for an out-of-control library that endangers children or for people who make the library unsafe for children. Toni Manning doesn't want other children to suffer as her own daughter has in part at Rob Brading's hands - that's not cynical, that's altruistic.

Rob Brading is correct, but only partly, when it serves his political interests and desire to maintain the ALA's control in the public library.

The question is, will people vote for a man who sues women to shut them up, who shows no interest in the child injured in the public library he helps control, and who uses the whole incident to make specious attacks on his political opponent?

DAN KLEINMAN

SafeLibraries.org

Chatham, NJ

People should be wary of Democratic gun caucus

According to a Sept. 15 Outlook article ('Oregon Democrats form gun owners caucus'), the Oregon Democratic Party wants to form a Gun Owner's Caucus, and their stated reason for doing so is to provide 'political balance' for gun owners of Oregon.

Let's see: the other guys (represented by the NRA and more conservative politicians) are vigorously protecting the Second Amendment, which gives us the right to keep and bear arms as individuals.

What could this Gun Owner's Caucus do for gun owners that the NRA or the GOA isn't already doing?

Perhaps they will ally themselves with the American Shooters and Hunters Association, a group that wants to protect the rights of hunters to own sporting firearms. In other words, ASHA wants to limit the Second Amendment to 'hunting' weapons. Hmmm. That leaves out handguns, collections of military weapons, etc., which the present interpretations of the Second Amendment permit us to own.

Where will the money for the caucus come from? From the Democratic party, or maybe the Joyce Foundation? The Joyce Foundation is a wealthy anti-gun group that has funded the above ASHA, and which supports all the anti-gun activity found in the eastern states, as well as the recent moves by the United Nations to end private gun ownership throughout the world.

Democrats, don't be fooled. Give this new caucus a close look and have some good questions ready for them. Be prepared for 'spin' if they answer your questions.

Remember, there wouldn't be a First Amendment without a Second Amendment.

GEORGE SCHNEIDER

Past member, Powell Valley Rifles

Present member, Douglas Ridge Rifle Club

Gresham

Patti Smith has earned our vote and respect

We are writing today because we in District 52 have an opportunity to re-elect Patti Smith as our State Representative.

We are the owners of a local business and local residents. We have personally found Rep. Smith to be well versed in our industry issues with a good grasp of what is needed to bring accountability and common sense to the table. What Rep. Smith has to deal with takes a very smart and experienced legislator. We say let's vote for Patti Smith and return her to the Oregon Legislature as our representative. She has earned our vote and respect. We need her voice in the Legislature.

Bob and Sharon Underwood

Sandy Farms LLC

Boring

Other businesses pay low wages, add traffic too

This letter is in response to Alyson Huntting's letter in The Outlook on Sept 9. Huntting's claims that Wal-Mart's wages and benefits aren't livable and many end up on assistance. I disagree. Wal-Mart employees receive a combined 401K-profit sharing plan that the company contributes 4 percent of a workers pay to www.Wal-mart.com. Providing employment is very beneficial to employees and gives them a chance to earn money contrary to what Huntting's claims.

How come Huntting never complains about the poverty level wages McDonalds, Burger King and the other fast food restaurants pay? Most of these workers earn minimum wage or just slightly above, and very few are able to get full time work.

Huntting keeps saying the area cannot handle the increased traffic and claims more traffic will be beyond safety factors. Baloney.

The only time people like Huntting ever complain about traffic and safety its Wal-Mart, but if its one of their favorite stores like Target, Best Buy, Winco, Fred Meyer, Costco, etc., they don't say a word even though some of the stores I just mentioned have schools close by and are very close to residential areas as well.

These stores bring a large chunk of traffic as well. Some of them a lot more than Wal-Mart. That's what they neglect to mention or complain about. The area is in desperate need of revitalization of some kind.

It is a dump right now with graffiti on the building and needs to be torn down. Development will be good for the area. The traffic now is not that bad now in the area.

What Huntting and the anti-Wal-Mart folks fail to understand is that the places like Safeway, Walgreens, Taco bell and McDonalds bring traffic to the area as well, and so has the housing development on Powell over the years. Amazing they don't complain about that do they?

I have read Rep. George Miller's (D-Calif.) report on Wal-Mart, it is nothing but a bunch of pro-union propaganda and nonsense. I don't believe a word of it. It is biased. You didn't get both sides of the story in the report. Huntting needs to back up her claims with facts instead of excessive whining about Wal-Mart and insulting everyone else's intelligence.

MATTHEW VANTRESS

Gresham

Smith values veterans and their families

Please join me in supporting Rep. Patti Smith, for re-election to District 52, as she has shown continuously how much she supports and cares for our veterans and their families, a view I have had the honor and opportunity to see firsthand.

I have seen Patti Smith at many events to honor our veterans and their families as she has shown great concern, consideration and care for those who have sacrificed so much. She has sponsored legislation that allows public employees the ability to donate their accrued vacation time to those on active military duty.

Patti Smith worked to expand health care coverage for state employees and the families of those who are on extended military leave to serve their country in the war on terror. Patti made sure our small county veterans service offices were funded this past session, along with supporting the many veteran bills that were passed during the 2005 session. Patti Smith has been and is an advocate for veteran issues.

I urge your support in this next upcoming election to return Patti Smith to the Oregon Legislature. Patti Smith is right on the issues, right for veterans and their families and right for District 52.